Παρασκευή 30 Νοεμβρίου 2012

POETRY IN EDUCATION Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe

THE WORD OF THE DAY < CUT >

Thesaurus-Synonyms-104 -

 CUT 'cut' verb to separate something, split it into pieces, or damage it, with a sharp implement: Cut the meat into small pieces before cooking it. 
* τέμνω, κόβω, (κατα)τεμαχίζω, προκαλώ ζημιά με κοφτερό εργαλείο [carve] to cut a cooked joint of meat into slices or to form a piece of wood into a shape or design: Father traditionally carves the turkey. 

* λαξεύω, σμιλεύω ξύλο σε σχήματα ή σχέδια, κατατέμνω, κόβω σε φέτες (κρέας κτλ.) [chop] to cut something into small pieces with heavy blows, especially using an axe or cleaver: We chopped the logs into smaller pieces for the fire.

 * καταφέρω πλήγμα με μπαλτά ή τσεκούρι, τσεκουρώνω, «μπαλταδιάζω», πελεκώ, (κατα)τεμαχίζω [dice] to cut food into small cubes: Dice the vegetables and add them to the pan.

 * κόβω (τροφή) σε κύβους [gash] to injure a part of your body by making a long deep cut in it: The boy gashed his knee playing football.
 
 * (για σάρκα) κόβω βα-θιά, σκίζω ή χαρακώνω (με ξυράφι κτλ.) [lacerate] (formal) to make many cuts in a part of your body: The assault victim’s face was badly lacerated and required 18 sutures

. * (για σάρκα) (κατα) ξεσχίζω [slash] to make a long cut in something, such as fabric or skin, with a swift stroke from a blade: The vandals slashed the curtains and painted slogans on the walls. 

* σχίζω, (πετσο) κόβω: χαράζω με ξυράφι, «χαρακώνω» ύφασμα ή δέρμα [slice] to cut something, especially food, into flat pieces: The fishmonger sliced the smoked salmon finely.

 * τεμαχίζω/κόβω (σε) φέτες (φαγητό κλπ) [slit] to make a small narrow cut in something, such as a piece of fabric or a piece of meat: Slit the chicken breast in two places and insert a garlic clove in each.

 * τέμνω ώστε να δημιουργηθεί σχισμή, (κατα) σχάζω (κομμάτι κρέατος ή υφάσματος) [snip] to cut something such as hair or a plant with short quick strokes: Snip the ends off the flowers before you put them in a vase.

 * ψαλιδίζω ή κλαδεύω ένα φυτό ή μαλλιά [trim] to neaten something, such as hair or a hedge, by cutting a little off the edges: Bob has a small pair of scissors for trimming his moustache.

 * ξακρίζω, κουρεύω, ψαλιδίζω, κλαδεύω (ένα θάμνο), «παίρνω» (περισσές τρίχες από μαλλιά)


 taken from the BETSIS ELT DICTIONARY & THESAURUS

Amazing Anamorphic Illusions!

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Τετάρτη 28 Νοεμβρίου 2012

THINK TEEN 1 What's the time?

Wake Up! Daily Routines Song for Kids

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THINK TEEN 1 NON ADVANCED TIME -DAILY ROUTINE

 A whole book with lots of activities and vocabulary


Time and Daily Routine

THINK TEEN 1

Think Teen 1 non advanced

THINK TEEN 1 ADVANCED COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Countable & Uncountable nouns 1

Countable & Uncountable nouns (1)

Nouns can be countable or uncountable. When you learn a new noun you should make a note of whether it is countable or uncountable as we use different words with countables and uncountables.

Countable nouns
  • There is a cat in the garden.
  • There are some birds in the trees.
For positive sentences we can use a/an or some (with a plural verb form)
  • There isn’t a dog in the garden.
  • There aren’t any birds in the tree.
For negatives we can use a/an or any (with a plural verb form).
  • Is there an orange on the tree?
  • Are there any chairs in the garden?
  • How many chairs are there?
In questions we use a/an, any or how many.

Uncountable nouns
  • There is some milk on the floor.
Uncountable nouns have no plural. The verb form is singular and we use some.
  • Is there any sugar?
  • How much wine is there?
In questions we can use any or how much.

Other expressions of quantity
  • There are a lot of apples on the trees.
  • There is a lot of snow on the road.
A lot of can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
  • Bill Gates has much money.
Notice that we don’t usually use ‘much’ or ‘many’ in positive sentences. We use ‘a lot of’.
  • Bill Gates has a lot of money.
  • There’s a lot of beer but there isn’t much wine.
  • There are a lot of carrots but there aren’t many potatoes.
We use not many with countable nouns and not much with uncountable nouns.

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on how they are used, and some nouns are commonly confused. These are covered in another section.



Countable & Uncountable nouns (2)

Some words can be both countable and uncountable depending on how they are used.
  • Would you like a chocolate?
  • Would you like some chocolate?
In a box of chocolates, the chocolates are countable and you can take one.
When you have a bar of chocolate the chocolate is uncountable and you can take some.

There are several other nouns that can be both countable and uncountable.
  • Can I have a glass of water, please?
  • There’s some broken glass on the pavement.
Glass’ is one. Many foodstuffs can be countable or uncountable. Think about the difference between ‘an ice cream’ and ‘some ice cream’ and ‘a coffee’ and ‘some coffee

‘few/a few’ and ‘little/a little’

We use few and a few with countable nouns and we use little and a little with uncountable nouns.
  • A few friends are coming round for dinner tonight.
  • We’ve got a little time before our train leaves. Shall we go to a museum?
A few and a little both mean ‘some’. They have a positive meaning.
  • I’ve got very few friends here. I feel really lonely.
  • We’ve got very little time – hurry up or we’ll miss the train.
Few and little both mean ‘almost none’. They have a negative meaning.

Commonly confused words
  • I’d like an information about train times please
  • I’d like some information about train times please.
Although ‘information’ is countable in many languages, it is uncountable in English.
  • Have you had any news from Pete?
  • I haven’t brought much luggage with me.
  • Can you give me some advice please?
As well as information, the following words are all uncountable: news, luggage, advice, furniture, weather, travel.

 From the British Council(learn English)

Learn English with BBC series

have a look . it's very funny!

Learn English

spongebob rules!

Φωτογραφία: Like this if your students have made this face before.  :)

holiday - Definition and pronunciation | Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com


A perfect way to learn new words!
Look it up in the dictionary.
Today's word: holiday


holiday - Definition and pronunciation | Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

The Milgram Experiment




Το πείραμα του Μιλγκραμ (The Milgram Experiment) ήταν μια σειρά πειραμάτων κοινωνικής ψυχολογίας που διενεργήθηκαν από τον ψυχολόγο του Πανεπιστημίου του Γιέηλ (Yale), Stanley Milgram. Μετρήθηκε η προθυμία των συμμετεχόντων στο να υπακούν ένα πρόσωπο (Επιστήμονα) που συμβολίζει εξουσία και αυθεντία, όταν αυτός τους ζητούσε να κάνουν πράγματα που αντιτίθενται στην συνείδησή τους.
Τα πειράματα ξεκίνησαν τον Ιούλιο του 1961, τρεις μήνες μετά την έναρξη της δίκης του Γερμανού ΝΑΖΙ Adolf Eichmann για το Ολοκαύτωμα. Το πείραμα καλούνταν να απαντήσει στο ερώτημα: "Ο Eichmann και οι συνεργοί του, είχαν κοινό σκοπό τουλάχιστον ως αναφορά το σκοπό του Ολοκαυτώματος;".
Τα πειράματα του Milgram έδειξαν ότι είναι δυνατόν εκατομμύρια συνεργοί απλά ακολουθούν τις εντολές τους, ακόμα κι αν αυτές παραβιάζουν τις βαθύτερες ηθικές αρχές τους.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority

Το παρόν είναι απόσπασμα από σύγχρονη επανάληψη του πειράματος στο πρόγραμμα Horizon του BBC 2, στη σειρά με θέμα "Πόσο βίαοι είμαστε", στο οποίο συμμετέχει ενεργά ο πρώην βουλευτής Michael Portillo. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Portillo)

Το αρχικό βίντεο ανέβηκε εδώ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTo3QmB_Yw

Το Πείραμα Υπακοής (Milgram) 2/2 - Greek Subs

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Το Πείραμα Υπακοής (Milgram) 1/2 - Greek Subs

Δευτέρα 26 Νοεμβρίου 2012

Education in England - Life and Culture

A lot of games for children to practice English

Countries and nationalities a super game for beginners

- Present Simple theory and exercises

Think Teen 1 (non advanced)

A Kid's Life In...
England
By Caitie
British Flag

Home
Differences
Life in Other Countries
Famous Heroes
School Activities
Fun on the Web
References




Did you know that eels swim in some of England's rivers?

 
 
 
In the year 2000, 63 pence is equal to one U.S. dollar.  
      
 
 
 
The capitol of England is London. 
 
 
 
Map of EnglandMy pins are so tired I thought I'd take the lift. Hello, my name is Porsche, and I live in England.  England is in the southern and eastern part of the island of Great Britain in the British Isles. 
I am eleven years old, and I am in primary school. Next year I will go to secondary school. We go to school from age five to eleven.  I have a test to take tomorrow because you take tests when you are seven, eleven, fourteen, and sixteen. We wear uniforms when we go to school. Our summer vacation is six weeks long. 
Our food is very simple. Beef, lamb and pork arePotatoes common meats. Sometimes people roast or boil potatoes.
The names of foods often tell what part of England they come from. Yorkshire pudding and Cornish pasties are my favorite foods. Cornish pasties are a flaky crust filled with meat potatoes and vegetables. Yorkshire pudding is a batter cake baked in meat fats.
We play many sports here, like rugby, cricket, and tennis. My personal favorite is soccer. In England, we call it football. Some other things we do for fun include golfing, fishing, and hunting. Some party games are dominoes, darts, and snooker. Snooker is similar to pool. Pants
ShirtFor clothes we wear western clothing, just as kids in America do.   
The weather is never too hot and never too cold. It rains a lot, England is well known for its rainy weather. There is little snow, even in the mountains.Mountain We get the most sunny weather in the southeast coast.   
The language we speak is English except we have different meanings for  words than they do in the U.S.A. Here are some of them.
Bobby= Police Officer;Police Officer Cheers= Thank you, Goodbye; Crisps= Potato Chips; Lift= Elevator; Lorry=Truck; Petrol=Gasoline; Pins= Legs; Biscuits=Cookies 

Think Teen 1 (non advanced) A Kid's Life in Australia

Think Teen 3 unit 6 customs and traditions

Japanese wedding


Contemporary Japanese weddings are celebrated in a great variety of ways. Many contain traditional Japanese and Western elements side by side.
Traditionally, the religious wedding ceremony is held in Shinto style at a shrine. Nowadays, this shrine may be located inside the hotel where the festivities take place. A Shinto priest conducts the ceremony, which is visited by only the close family members of the couple.
In the ceremony, the couple is purified, drinks sake, and the groom reads the words of commitment. At the end of the ceremony, symbolic offerings are given to the kami. The couple is dressed in traditional kimono.
After the ceremony, the couple welcomes all the guests, and the reception party is held. Usually the party is visited by about 20 to 200 guests among whom are relatives, friends, co-workers and bosses of the bride and groom. The party normally starts with the introductions of the bride and groom.
Afterwards, a meal is held and several guests make contributions such as speeches, songs and the like. During the whole celebrations, the groom and especially the bride may change their dresses several times. At the very end of the party, the couple will make a speech to all the guests and thank everybody.
Reception Party
During recent decades, Japanese couples have introduced many Western elements to Japanese weddings. Many brides chose to wear white, Christian style dresses, and some religious ceremonies are even held completely in Christian style at a Christian church even though the couple may not be Christian. The ritual of cake cutting, the exchange of rings and honeymoons are a few other very common adopted elements.
Recently, the number of Japanese couples who hold their wedding ceremony outside of Japan has also increased. One reason for this phenomena is the fact that by marrying abroad, the honeymoon can be combined with the ceremony, and the number of guests and, therefore, the overall costs for the event can be reduced.
 
Bulgarian Wedding - Traditions and Customs
#
Bulgarian Wedding
Traditions and customs were main part of Bulgarian life in the past. In nowadays most of the customs are changed or lost.
The typical Bulgarian wedding was very interesting and with rich ritualism. Every single part of the organization, every element and action were personification of people believes.
Koprivshtitsa was town with strong family strings and patriarchal traditions. They were part of all Bulgarian Weddingceremonies and rituals. In the old Koprivshttiza family the mother was the one who chooses the bride for her son. The girl should be hardworking, good housewife, and wedded mother.
When the bride is selected groom’s parents and his friends go to the girl’s home. There they show her parents the reason for their visit using some specific rituals - poking the fire, bringing typical food or drinks, etc. When the two families agree on making the marriage the bride is asked if she accepts this decision. Usually because of the strong patriarchal traditions the girl accepts her parents will.
The old Bulgarian wedding lasts 3 - 4 days and every day has its own rituals. In one day the flour for the wedding bread is sift out, the bride girlfriends sing Bulgarian Weddingtraditional wedding songs and preparing the meals, on the other day the wreaths for the bride are made, the girls hair is ritually combed and plaited by her non-married friends.
All traditions are closely connected to girl’s separation from the family and friends. After the marriage she goes to her new family, she’ll start naming her husband’s parents “mother” and “father”, she has to be prepared to take care of a new household.
The whole ceremony is reach of symbols – every bouquet and wreath should have red carnation - symbol of manliness and geranium – symbol of health ( the flower name in Bulgarian is “zdravetz” and word health is “zdrave”). The wheat seeds should be thrown over the young couple as a symbol of fecundity. When they go Bulgarian Weddingfrom one place to the other during the wedding days they should not go on the same street because it will cause repetition of the marriage.
Men in Koprivshtitsa were mostly traders and were traveling abroad very often. They were out of the village for more than 4-5 months per year. That’s why if the boy’s mother finds a nice girl right for her son she might arrange a marriage without the groom. Usually he is represented by his shirt and trousers.
This is small part of all symbols, rituals and believes accompanying traditional Bulgarian wedding. A lot of them are forgotten, some of them are changed to match the modern live.
Bulgarian WeddingMay be because of the interest in the traditions and in long forgotten rituals even more and more young people decide to make their weddings in the spirit of old times. Koprivshtitsa keeps the spirit of the past in its architecture, in its rich and heroic history. This town is a perfect place for touching the traditions by organizing a wedding in a typical Bulgarian style.
On the other side this is a great opportunity to make one unique and unforgettable ceremony, different from the standards popular in nowadays.




Κυριακή 25 Νοεμβρίου 2012

Mother Teresa

Think teen  b class 

 

Mother Teresa

Biography

  • Occupation: Catholic Nun
  • Born: August 26, 1910 in Uskub, Ottoman Empire
  • Died: September 5, 1997 in Calcutta, India
  • Best known for: Fighting for the rights of the sick and helpless
Biography:

Mother Teresa was a humanitarian. This means she did things to help out other people. Her entire life was fully devoted to helping the poor, the sick, the needy, and the helpless.

Where did Mother Teresa grow up?

Mother Teresa was born in Uskub, Ottoman Empire on August 26, 1910. This city is now called Skopje and is the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Her birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Her father died when she was eight and she was raised by her mother. She was raised as a Roman Catholic and decided to devote her life to God at a young age. She joined the Sisters of Loreto at the age of 18 to become a missionary to India. She first had to learn English. So she went to Ireland to learn English at the Loreto Abby.

A year later she started her missionary work in Darjeeling, India. She learned the local language, Bengali, and taught at the local school. She soon took her first vows as a nun and took the name Teresa. She would teach for many years in India becoming the headmistress at a school in eastern Calcutta.

What did Mother Teresa do?

When she was 36 years old she felt the call from God to help the poor of India. She received some basic medical training and then set out to help the sick and needy. This wasn't an easy task in 1948 India. She had very little support and, while trying to feed and help the poorest of the poor, she herself was constantly hungry and even had to beg for food.

Soon other women joined her and she formed the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa described the purpose of the Missionaries of Charity as an organization to take care of "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone". Wow! She had some lofty goals and considering where she was at the start (see above paragraph where she was starving), she accomplished some amazing things. The Missionaries of Charity originally had 13 members. Today they have over 4,000 nuns who care for people just like Mother Teresa described all over the world.

It wasn't an easy task to build such an organization and to keep the focus on the poorest people. She worked almost up until her death on September 5, 1997.

Fun facts about Mother Teresa
  • Mother Teresa has been beatified by the Catholic Church. This is a step on the way to becoming a Saint. She is now called Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
  • Albania's international airport is named after her, the Aeroporti Nene Tereza.
  • She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
  • She once traveled through a war zone to rescue 37 children from the font lines.
  • She received numerous awards for all her charity work including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan.

Think Teen 3 Traditional Greek wedding




Old Greek Wedding Customs



A Greek couple becomes engaged by exchanging rings in the presence of family and friends. After the engagement there is always a feast. This ceremony is considered as binding as the wedding.

An old-fashioned tradition is the baby-rolling ceremony on the matrimonial bed. Babies of friends and family are placed on the mattress and gently rolled from side to side. The bed is also strewn with rose petals, coins and sugar-coated almonds (called koufetta) to bring fertility and prosperity to the couple.
The making of the wedding flag or flamboro marks the beginning of the wedding week. A branch ending with five twigs is found first. Then an apple is tied to one branch and tufts of red wool are other four twigs. This is put up at the bride’s home until the wedding day.
As the couple dress for the ceremony, they may be serenaded with traditional songs. There is also dancing until it’s time for the wedding procession to begin.
The wedding procession is begun at the groom’s house where the wedding flag is raised. Then the flag bearer leads the group proceeds to the bride’s home where the bride’s mother greets the groom. She greets him with a glass of wine, a ring-shaped biscuit and a boutonniere of herbs for his label. He pins the herbs to his lapel, kisses her hand and asks for her blessing. She gives her blessing by kissing him on both cheeks. She may also touch his neck with incense and give him embatikion, a gift to symbolize that his is now a part of the family.
The groom may present his bride with her bouquet at the wedding site.
Greek Orthodox weddings are always on Sunday. They aren’t performed after Easter and Christmas, during periods of fasting and the day preceding a Holy Day. Vows aren’t exchanged because marriage is considered a union between two people in love, not a contractual agreement.
Two loaves of bread are bakes, decorated with flowers and tied together with a white ribbon, separated by a bottle of wine. When the couple enters the ceremony site, the ribbon is cut. They take three sips of wine and circle the altar three times while the guests throw rice or sugared almonds.
The ceremony in Greek Orthodox weddings in divided into two parts: the Betrothal and the Crowning. The Betrothal Service consists of blessing the rings over the heads of the bride and groom. Then they are exchanged three times by their Koumbaros or best man. The Crowning is the main part of the ceremony where the couple is crowned by garland wreaths, vines wrapped in silver or gold paper or even crowns made of semi-precious stones and metals. A white ribbon symbolizing unity joins the crowns. The crowns are packed in a special box after the ceremony. By ancient custom they are to stay with the couple for life – some couples are even buried in them.
Charms (traditionally in the form of a small eye) are worn by the attendants to protect the bridal party from bad luck. The bride may also put a lump of sugar in her glove for a sweet marriage. Ivy may be carried by the bride as a symbol of never-ending love.
Wedding bands are traditionally worn on the right hand, not the left.
The bride may throw a pomegranate instead of the bouquet. The many seeds symbolize fertility because of all the seeds.
After the ceremony, the group heads to the groom’s house where the flag is once again raised. The bride throws a piece of old iron to the roof to symbolize the strength of her new home.
At the reception, plates are broken on the dance floor (or some other hard surface) for good luck. A member of the immediate family begins and others quickly join in with much yelling and laughing as the plates shatter.
There is a traditional money dance at the reception where people dance with either the bride or groom, pinning money to their clothes.


from: http://www.greekboston.com/wedding/customs.shtml

Think Teen 1 advanced Food in Britain (3/8 ESL video)

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Mother Teresa's words of Love

for Think teen 2 (non advanced) lesson 2 Mother Teresa



Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the youngest of three children of an Albanian builder, on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. She felt that August 27, 1910, the day of her baptism, was her true birthday. At the age of 18 she joined the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland. She trained in Dublin, where the motherhouse of the Loreto Sisters was located. She chose the name of Sister Teresa, in memory of Saint Thιrθse of Lisieux.
In December 1928 she began her journey to India and continued to Darjeeling, at the base of the Himalayan Mountains, where she would continue her training towards her religious vows. Soon after, on January 6, 1929 she arrived in Calcutta, the capital of Bengal, India to teach at a school for girls. While in Calcutta, she was moved by the presence of the sick and dying on the city's streets. On September 10, 1946, on the long train ride to Darjeeling where she was to go on a retreat and to recover from suspected tuberculosis, something happened. Mother Teresa recalls:
Mother Teresa - A brief biography, Biographies for kids: 16_1.gif "I realized that I had the call to take care of the sick and the dying, the hungry, the naked, the homeless - to be God's Love in action to the poorest of the poor. That was the beginning of the Missionaries of Charity."
She didn't hesitate, she didn't question. She asked permission to leave the Loreto congregation and to establish a new order of sisters. She received that permission from Pope Pius XII. In 1952 Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity began the work for which they have been noted ever since. Her order received permission from Calcutta officials to use a portion of the abandoned temple of Kali, the Hindu goddess of transition and destroyer of demons. Mother Teresa founded here the Kalighat Home for the Dying, which she named Nirmal Hriday (meaning "Pure Heart"). She and her fellow nuns gathered dying people off the streets of Calcutta and brought them to this home to care for them during the days before they died.
Mother Teresa's first orphanage was started in 1953, while in 1957 she and her Missionaries of Charity began working with lepers. In the years following, her homes (she called them "tabernacles") have been established in hundreds of locations in the world.
Following a prolonged illness, Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997.

Word of the day

Thesaurus-Synonyms-94 - CONTINUOUS

'continuous' adjective happening without interruption over a period of time: five hours’ continuous rain. * συνεχής: αδιάκοπος, ασταμά-τητος

[constant] happening repeatedly, sometimes to the point of irritation: I’m fed up with his constant nagging. * αδιάκοπος, συνεχής, σταθερός, αμετάβλητος σε βαθμό ενόχλησης

[continual] happening repeatedly, usually at short intervals: continual interruptions. *συνεχής, αδιάκοπος αλλά με μικρά διαλείμ-ματα

[endless] lasting a long time or happening very often, and therefore tedious: her endless boasting about her children’s
achievements. * ατέρμονας, ατελεύτητος, ατέλειωτος και γι’ αυτό βαρετός

[incessant] never stopping or pausing, and irritating or tiring
because of that: their incessant chatter. * ακατάπαυστος, ασταμά-τητος και ενοχλητικά κουραστικός

[nonstop] (informal) proceeding at a fast pace and never stopping,
which may seem energetic or exciting: a nonstop round of social engagements. * που συμβαίνει ή προχωρά χωρίς να σταματά ποτέ, με ενθουσιασμό, γρήγορο βήμα και ενεργητικότητα

[solid] (used to describe a length of time) continuing without a break: We queued for tickets for three solid hours. * συνεχής, αλληλοδιάδοχος

[uninterrupted] continuing without any interruptions: Parents of young babies rarely have a full night’s uninterrupted sleep.
* συνεχής, αδιάκοπος

taken from the BETSIS ELT DICTIONARY & THESAURUS

ec - European Commission - jobs of the future

Commission presents new Rethinking Education strategy

The youth unemployment rate is close to 23% across the European Union – yet at the same time there are more than 2 million vacancies that cannot be filled.
Europe needs a radical rethink on how education and training systems can deliver the skills needed by the labour market. The challenge could not be tougher in the context of widespread austerity measures and cuts in education budgets.
Today, the European Commission is launching a new strategy called Rethinking Education to encourage Member States to take immediate action to ensure that young people develop the skills and competences needed by the labour market and to achieve their targets for growth and jobs.
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: "Rethinking education is not just of question of money: whilst it is true that we need to invest more in education and training, it is clear that education systems also need to modernise and be more flexible in how they operate to respond to the real needs of today's society. Europe will only resume sustained growth by producing highly skilled and versatile people who can contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship. Efficient and well-targeted investment is fundamental to this, but we will not achieve our objectives by reducing education budgets."


What does Rethinking Education call for:

  • There needs to be a much stronger focus on developing transversal skills and basic skills at all levels, especially entrepreneurial and IT skills.
  • A new benchmark on foreign language learning: by 2020, at least 50% of 15 year olds should have knowledge of a first foreign language (up from 42% today) and at least 75% should study a second foreign language (61% today).
  • Investment is needed to build world-class vocational education and training systems and increase levels of work-based learning.
  • Member States need to improve the recognition of qualifications and skills, including those gained outside of the formal education and training system.
  • Technology must be fully exploited, in particular the internet. Schools, universities and vocational and training institutions must increase access to education via open educational resources.
  • These reforms must be supported by well-trained, motivated and entrepreneurial teachers.
  • Funding needs to be targeted to maximise the return on investment. Debate at both national and EU level is needed on funding for education - especially in vocational education and higher education.
  • A partnership approach is critical. Both public and private funding is necessary to boost innovation and increase cross-fertilisation between academia and business.


More information